


Shadowbound

by dragonfire1603



Series: Shadowbound verse [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Assault, Bartender Matt Mercer, Bondage, Dirty Talk, Fluff, Frottage, Hurt/Comfort, It's actually fluffier than the rest of the tags make it sound, Lap Sex, M/M, Nightmares, Or rather Plot with Porn, Porn With Plot, Power Imbalance, Strangers to Lovers, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2019-11-26 06:10:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18176876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonfire1603/pseuds/dragonfire1603
Summary: Matt resumed his work without another word, occasionally stealing glances at the mysterious patron, making out more details of the man’s appearance each time. Black leather jacket. A short, well-kept beard. Strikingly blue eyes. A mohawk with elaborate patterns shaved into the short hair on the sides of his head. He looked to be no more than a few years older than Matt but he seemed self-assured and confident in a manner Matt had never been and he was fascinating in a way Matt hadn’t really encountered before and couldn’t adequately put into words. He was immediately intrigued by this person.





	1. Black and Blue

**Author's Note:**

> _I give up! I'm posting the first chapter now, fuck it!_
> 
> This is the beginning of an as of right now _*checks Google Docs*_ over 10k words long story (and hopefully universe... I have some ideas). I'm starting to post this now so that I'll hopefully get off my ass and write the rest of it. 
> 
> The current tags reflect my whole progress with the story as of today, not just the published chapters, so that you can gauge if this story is something you'd be interested in before you start reading. **Be aware that I'm intentionally not tagging some of the elements that I would usually tag because it would give away some major plot points.**
> 
> While I would consider the whole story to be overall pretty fluffy there's also some violence. Please proceed with caution.
> 
> As always with RPF: Don't like, don't read and please don't share it with the cast.
> 
> Final note: I imagine Matt to be in his mid-20s here.

Matt stole away for a few precious moments of respite, escaping the sound of countless conversations and music turned to a cacophonous sound in his head, droning insistently against his temples. He took a few slow steps into another dark corridor behind the main room of the bar, walking past the _Employees only_ sign, leading him further away from the noise before leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. He exhaled deeply, concentrating inward, centering himself.

He liked his job, he really did, but sometimes it was just _too much_. Too much noise, too much bustling, too many people. He was immensely grateful that he had good co-workers that he could rely on, especially his boss and owner of the bar, Frank. Built like a bear and having a reputation for taking no ones shit, people would be careful to step on his toes but few apart from the staff knew how kind and protective he was, especially when it came to his employees. Matt knew that he wouldn't get any dirty looks for taking a break for a few minutes but he usually tried to keep his time-out’s as short as possible out of a sense of obligation to his friends.

As he was lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice the sound of careful footsteps moving closer over the muffled music.

“What are you doing all alone back here?” 

The deep voice startled Matt out of his contemplation just as a heavy hand landed on the wall right next to his head. He opened his eyes to find a broad man standing directly in front of him, flashing a predatory grin with unnaturally white teeth, leaning against the wall and into his personal space.

“That’s none of your business as far as I’m aware. Back off,“ Matt answered coldly, ignoring the hummingbird flutter of fear in his chest.

The man leaned in further, close enough now that Matt could smell the whiskey on his breath when he spoke again.

“The pretty, little pup’s got fangs, how cu–”

Before he could finish, Matt kneed him between the legs and moved quickly to the side, ducking under his arm. He took one step towards the entrance of the corridor before a sharp yank on the back of his shirt wrenched him backwards.

“You’ll regret this,” the man growled, pain obvious in his voice, as he grabbed him by the throat with his other hand and slammed him into the wall. Matt’s vision momentarily went white with blinding pain as the back of his head impacted with the hard plaster. He tried to focus his vision on the threat in front of him but the bright bursts of light in front of his eyes were making it difficult. He couldn’t quite figure out why breathing was so incredibly hard right now and why he was still standing upright even though his knees had given out. He gasped for air, instinctively grasping at the hand that was latched around his throat. _Choking me,_ his dazed mind helpfully supplied.

He dug his nails into the soft flesh of the hand that was in front of him but it didn’t loosen and just as the world started to turn dark around the edges, he saw a flash of purple cut through the darkness and a loud noise pierced through the fog in his mind as the hold on him was suddenly released, making him stumble to his knees, gasping. He took a few ragged breaths before looking up and taking in his surroundings. His assailant was slumped against the opposite wall, eyes wide with fear, staring towards the entrance of the corridor. Matt followed his gaze and saw a man standing a few yards away, the only recognizable feature in the dim light the shock of blue hair on top of his head.

“Get out of here,” the man growled towards his attacker. “And don’t you dare show your face here again. Ever.”

The man hurried to his feet and took a cautious step towards the exit that was blocked by the figure, who took a step to the side and waved him through with an exaggeratedly polite hand motion, never taking his eyes off of him as he vanished around the corner. After he had scurried away, the man took a step towards Matt before stopping abruptly and turning back around to disappear as well.

Matt slumped heavily back against the wall and pulled his knees to his chest, only focused on calming his breathing and his mind. 

He flinched when he heard a pair of quickly approaching footsteps and had struggled halfway to his feet before he recognized Frank hurrying around the corner. He sank back down with a sigh as Frank crouched in front of him. 

“Are you alright?! Some kid said that someone needed help back here. What happened?“

“Did he have blue hair?” he asked, his voice sounding raspy even to his own ears. 

“Yeah. God, Matt, your neck is all bruised up. Did he do this?” Frank asked with barely contained fury.

“No, not him. There was another one. The one with the blue hair helped me… I think. It’s all a bit of a blur… ,” he trailed off while examining his neck with shaking fingers.

“I’ll get you to a doctor, come on,” Frank said while standing back up and extending a hand towards him. 

He let Frank help him get back to his feet before shaking his head.

“I don’t need a doctor. It’s just some bruises, I have a salve at home for stuff like that,” he said, trying to will his rising headache away with the force of his thoughts alone. “And you need to take care of things here.”

“Simon can handle it alone for a bit,” Frank dismissed. 

“Not on a night like this and you know it,” Matt answered, starting to walk towards the end of the corridor. Frank quickly sprang ahead of him and stood in front, blocking his way.

“Okay, you win. But you’ll head straight home now. And send me a message when you’re there.”

“Yes, dad, I’ll be good, promise,” Matt said with a small smirk.

“You are the worst, you know that, right?” he said, stepping to the side to let Matt pass. 

“Yup.“

He packed his things and left the bar walking in the direction of his apartment. The cold night air helped calm him down and provided a bit of relief for his throat and his headache which had subsided to only a dull throbbing by the time he arrived there. He quickly messaged Frank and then went to inspect his throat in the bathroom mirror, the cold, fluorescent light doing nothing to hide the red marks forming a stark contrast on his pale skin. He thanked the heavens that it was cold enough to wear a scarf outside. Sifting through his drawers, he eventually found the salve he was looking for and applied it to his throat. 

The adrenalin had completely worn off and now he just felt exhausted. He tumbled into bed and closed his eyes, sleep soon taking him, bringing with it dreams of pearl white teeth that transformed into fangs in front of his eyes, flashes of blue hair and streaks of purple light.

***

A few days passed, the bruises started to fade and everything went back to normal. Frank had asked Matt for a full description of the guy who had attacked him so as to be able to throw him out on sight if he ever dared to show his face at the bar again. Matt had obliged but he’d also voiced his hunch that they wouldn’t see him there again, distinctly remembering the expression of naked fear he’d seen on his face after the blue haired man had entered the scene and up until now he seemed to have been correct in his assumption. That didn’t stop his mind from pondering over the identity of his blue haired savior. He replayed the events over and over in his head until he wasn’t sure anymore which parts of it had actually happened and which ones his overactive imagination had filled in.

One early evening, he was manning the bar alone with Simon scheduled to come in later that evening. He was in the process of measuring out the amount of thai chili rum that went into one of their signature cocktails – a delicate venture since just a dash too much could completely shift the character of the drink – when he lifted his head to find a man with a shock of blue hair sitting directly in front of him at the bar. He stared in silent surprise for a second until the man lifted an eyebrow, a slight smile beginning to play around his lips.

“Uh… sorry, what would you like to order?” Matt finally managed, snapping out of his stupor.

“Whatever that is you’re making right now looks very interesting, I’ll have one of those.” Soft voice, deep, quite pleasant.

“Of course,” Matt answered quickly, ducking his head in an attempt to hide from his gaze. He resumed his work without another word, occasionally stealing glances at the mysterious patron, making out more details of the man’s appearance each time. Black leather jacket. A short, well-kept beard. Strikingly blue eyes. A mohawk with elaborate patterns shaved into the short hair on the sides of his head. He looked to be no more than a few years older than Matt but he seemed self-assured and confident in a manner Matt had never been and he was fascinating in a way Matt hadn’t really encountered before and couldn’t adequately put into words. He was immediately intrigued by this person. He finished the drink and set it down in front of him. 

“There you go, I hope you like it,” he said, praying silently that his voice hadn’t sounded too much like a flustered schoolgirl. He turned away quickly, taking the next order before the man had time to respond. It was still quiet, so Matt was only occupied for a short while before he had some breathing room. When he did, he strengthened his resolve and turned back to this fascinating patron, who was still on his own, though he didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

“So…thank you for…,” he hesitated. “You know, the other night.”

“You are very welcome,” he answered with a kind smile.

“You must have given that guy quite a scare. He ran off remarkably fast.”

“I can have that effect on people,” he said, a hint of amusement swinging along in his voice, before he took a sip of his drink.

“Really now? You don’t strike me as a particularly scary guy. No offense,” Matt added quickly, taken aback by his own forwardness. But it was true. Even though his appearance could easily be construed as intimidating, that impression was belied by his surprisingly warm eyes.

“None taken,” the stranger laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment, actually.”

Matt gave a small smile of relief and leaned forward on the bar a bit, extending a hand.

“I’m Matthew. Call me Matt.”

“Taliesin,” the other man said as he took it. At Matt’s look of confusion he shrugged and added a “Hippie parents” as a way of explanation. Matt nodded his head in silent sympathy. 

They spent a majority of the evening talking, only interrupted by Matt having to attend to other patrons and he found himself quickly validated in his initial assessment of Taliesin. He was pleasant to talk to, a treasure trove of interesting stories with a wide breadth of knowledge while at the same time being a good listener who was genuinely interested in what Matt had to say. They talked about various topics, the conversation flowing naturally from work – Taliesin worked as a coordinator at _The Barn,_ a local concert place and bar, quite small but with a reputation for booking good acts that more often than not seemed to be too well known to play at such a small venue –, to personal life – he lived alone with a calico cat called Artemis in an apartment on the other side of town –, to family and friends – an assortment of genuinely fascinating sounding people. Matt could already feel himself falling for Taliesin and even though he considered himself to be hopeless at picking up on signals, as the evening progressed, he became increasingly certain that Taliesin was interested as well.

The hours flew by surprisingly fast and at some point Taliesin made to leave, Matt barely managing to mask his disappointment. Maybe he’d been imagining things after all.

“Thank you for brightening my evening with your company,” Taliesin said with a wink as he put on his jacket. “May I ask when you’re in next time?” Or maybe he hadn’t.

“I’m off tomorrow, but I’ll be here on Friday,” Matt said quickly. “I’ll have an earlier shift but feel free to drop by again. If you want to.”

“As long as I’m not distracting you too much from your work,” Taliesin answered, one eyebrow raised and a knowing smile on his lips. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Matt answered, feeling a slight blush creep up his cheeks. With a last smile Taliesin exited the bar.

He had barely a moment to himself before Simon entered his field of vision and plopped down where Taliesin had sat mere moments ago.

“So, who’s the guy you were shooting heart eyes at the whole time?”

“I wasn’t –” he started indignantly before he was interrupted. 

“Dooon’t even _try_ to deny it, Matt. I could have spotted your sappy smile from half a mile away.”

“Sure, whatever, maybe I was. You're a fucking menace,” he said but there was no real venom behind it. “When did you even get here, I didn’t see you enter.”

“Half an hour ago. You seemed too distracted by Mr. Blue Mohawk to notice,” he grinned, leaning forward on the bar and resting his head on his hand. “Did you get his number?”

“I did not,” Matt began, raising a finger to preemptively silence Simon, sensing that he was about to be interrupted again. “ _But_ he’s coming in on Friday again.”

“Nice! Get that goth booty,” Simon cheered, before narrowly dodging the slap aiming for the side of his head.

“Menace!” Matt called after him, as he scurried giggling towards the employee area.


	2. Exceptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to InjaMorgan for beta reading parts of this chapter and giving me valuabe pointers to improve it <3

Friday rolled around and it was predictably a lot busier than the other day. Almost all seats at the bar were taken, a few regulars sitting at their usual end of the bar, arguing loudly about something or other, acknowledging Matt with a nod when he brought them another round of beers, before they went back to their conversation. The tables were also well occupied and the noise level was correspondingly high. 

He caught his eyes flitting to the door every time he saw it open only to feel a slight pang of disappointment every time he didn’t see blue hair on top of the newcomers head. 

Matt was completely preoccupied by his work when Taliesin finally did arrive, barely able to give him more than an acknowledging smile while taking his order, before he had to move on to another patron. The evening didn’t get any quieter and the end of his shift was fast approaching with him having hardly managed more than the occasional few words while in the process of mixing a cocktail. This was definitely not what he’d had in mind but he was not about to let an opportunity slip through his fingers, so he gathered up his courage and stepped over to where Taliesin was sitting.

“Sooo… I’m off in a few minutes. Would you... like to go for a drink somewhere else?” Matt asked haltingly over the counter top. Taliesin face lit up in obvious delight as he answered.

“I’d love to.”

“Great!” The look of trepidation on Matt’s face was quickly replaced by a grin. “Do you know the Lakebar? It should be a little quieter there.”

“Good choice, let’s go there.”

Shortly after, Matt started gathering up his things, pointedly ignoring the knowing smirk he saw on Simon’s face as he waved the others goodbye and left the bar with Taliesin.

A little while later, the two of them were sitting next to each other on a comfortable sofa, the city lights reflecting in the still surface of the lake, as they viewed it through the floor-to-ceiling window that occupied most of the east wall of the bar.

Taliesin took a sip from his drink and considered it for a moment before he turned to Matt.

“Not bad but yours are better.”

“Thanks. It’s all Frank, though, really. He’s the one who comes up with these amazing recipes.”

“You’re still the one making them, that takes skill too,” Taliesin pointed out. “And you’re a pleasure to watch when you’re making them,” he added with a mischievous wink.

“Oh, I… thank you,” Matt said, taking a quick sip from his own drink to hide the dopey smile that he was absolutely sure was currently plastered over his face. While he set his glass back down on the table, he tried to inconspicuously inch a bit closer to Taliesin, but he seemed to see through it instantly, studying Matt’s face with an intent gaze. Matt bit his lip, nervousness rising but he was unable to look away, completely spellbound by the pale blue irises only inches from his own. They seemed to see directly into his mind, reading his every thought as easily as if they were an open book to Taliesin. 

He slowly reached out a hand towards Matt’s face, giving him time to pull away if he so wished, never breaking his gaze. Matt didn’t pull away, though, and when Taliesin’s hand reached him in a gentle touch, he leaned into it and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm his racing heart. Taliesin’s thumb began running over his cheekbone with soft, almost soothing motions, and he found himself slowly relaxing. It felt good. It felt… natural. Like this was where he was supposed to be right now. _Who_ he was supposed to be _with_. He opened his eyes again and found Taliesin looking at him with a smile.

“I would very much like to kiss you. May I?” Taliesin asked softly, barely more than a whisper.

Matt nodded slowly, almost in a daze, before he managed to find his voice. 

“I’d like that.”

Taliesin tipped Matt’s head up slightly as he leaned in and gently moved his lips to Matt’s, testing. Once Matt had shaken off his momentary daze, he laid an arm around Taliesin’s neck and deepened the kiss while Taliesin’s free hand moved to the small of his back, pulling him closer. His other hand moved up towards Matt’s neck to tangle his fingers in the hair right at the base of his skull and tugged lightly. 

Matt’s eyes slid closed and a small whimper escaped him and just then Taliesin slipped his tongue into his mouth, before tugging again, a bit harder this time. Matt made a noise that was embarrassingly close to a moan, a fact of which he became acutely aware of a few moments later when he heard someone loudly clearing their throat near them. The sound dragged him back to the reality in which they were still very much sitting in the middle of a bar. 

He pulled away from Taliesin with a start, absolutely sure that his face was turning redder by the second. Taliesin released his hold on Matt’s hair and turned around to face whoever had interrupted them. The middle-aged man in question stared with an expression of disapproval at them until Taliesin met his gaze. He weirdly seemed to shrink in on himself then, before hastily turning back to his female companion. Taliesin turned back around as well, facing Matt again, a slight smile on his lips as he picked up his drink and leaned back on the sofa. 

“You look adorable when you’re blushing,” he said, before taking a sip from the glass. His other hand had casually moved from the small of Matt’s back to his hip, where his thumb was now lightly stroking over his hip bone.

“I don’t normally do this. Make-out in the middle of a bar with someone I’ve only met a few days ago, I mean,” he said, staring intently at his own hands.

“I’d figured as much. But I like being the exception to a rule,” Taliesin laughed. 

“I’m not surprised,” Matt said, a smile on his face as he looked back up at Taliesin. “I’d be willing to make a few more exceptions for you,” he added with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“Would you now?” Taliesin purred, putting his glass back on the table before pulling him close again. 

***

They somehow ended up back at Matt’s apartment, Taliesin barely waiting until Matt had locked the door behind them before he pushed him up against it. His fervor was almost dizzying, a tempestuous force that left Matt clinging onto him for dear life as he kissed him again. Matt found his bearings after a few breathless moments and answered with equal enthusiasm, hooking an arm around him and tangling his fingers in the blue hair of his mohawk. He didn’t bother to try and hold back the whimpers and moans that were spilling from his mouth as Taliesin started grinding against him. He was left panting as Taliesin pulled away after a few more moments, his satisfied grin all teeth as he surveyed Matt’s disheveled form.

“I can’t wait to find out what other delightful noises I can draw out of you,” Taliesin whispered close to his ear, the deep rumble of his voice making him shiver. He kissed and nipped along Matt’s jaw, soft lips ghosting over his stubble.

“Bedroom?” he asked after a few seconds, chuckling slightly when Matt was unable to answer immediately and instead had to concentrate on getting his tongue to form words again.

“Yes… that way,” he answered finally, leading Taliesin to the room at the end of the short corridor, slipping out of his shoes on the way. His felt his face heat up with embarrassment as he realized that he hadn’t made his bed this morning and had left a few of his clothes strewn around on the floor. He tried to inconspicuously kick one of his dirty shorts under the bed but his attempt was thwarted when Taliesin grabbed and kissed him again. He grasped the hem of Matt’s shirt and pulled it up over his head, leaving Matt’s hair a complete mess. He ran a hand through it, smoothing it out and getting it out of his face, noticing the hungry expression on Taliesin’s face. He felt a rush of excitement but also an undercurrent of anxiety at having someone focus all of their attention on him with the kind of laser focus that Taliesin was displaying.

Before he could start feeling too self-conscious under those eyes, he opted instead to even the playing field by reaching for Taliesin’s own shirt. He let Matt pull it off of him before he grinned and maneuvered him backwards until he hit the edge of the bed with his calves. Taliesin kept urging him back though, until Matt lost his balance and fell backwards onto the bed. 

Matt took that opportunity to take a good look at Taliesin’s newly exposed skin. While not exactly slender, he carried his figure well and unlike Matt he didn’t seem to feel self-conscious at all if his posture and the almost predatory expression with which he was looking at him were any indication.

Matt moved up the bed a bit, tossing a stray cushion on the floor in the process. With unexpected speed and limberness Taliesin was suddenly looming over him, one hand stroking over his chest while the other wandered lower, following the trail of hair below his navel until it disappeared under the waistband of his trousers, before teasing at the obvious bulge. Matt let out a groan and his eyes fluttered closed as Taliesin pinched a nipple while simultaneously stroking firmly over his clothed erection.

“You’re so responsive. You’re gonna be fun,” Matt heard Taliesin say, before he was kissed again. Matt slung an arm around his neck and pulled him closer, the other hand going for the curve of his ass, grabbing it firmly. In the meantime Taliesin had deftly managed to undo the button on Matt’s pants and yank the zipper down. He felt Taliesin’s fingers ghost along the edge of his underwear before they dipped below the fabric. Matt’s cock jumped involuntarily as Taliesin wrapped his hand loosely around it and started moving with slow, measured strokes, barely more than a continued tease. Matt was panting against Taliesin’s lips in between breathless open-mouthed kisses, the occasional whine or moan spilling forth before it was greedily swallowed by Taliesin.

Way too soon he pulled away again and Matt opened his eyes to see him sitting up and move back on the bed. He tugged on Matt’s trousers, struggling to pull them off for a few moments before Matt started wriggling on the sheets, helping him move them down his legs along with his underwear. He did the same to his own, before he sat down on the edge of the bed. 

“Come here,” he said, urging Matt closer with a motion of his hand. As soon as Matt was within reach Taliesin took a hold of his hips and pulled him into his lap, kneeling astride his thighs. He wrapped one arm around Matt’s lower back, his free hand stroking over his chest, a hint of nails leaving behind faint, white lines on Matt’s skin while he rocked up against Taliesin.

“You’re beautiful,” Taliesin said suddenly, his eyes locked on Matt’s face. The simple words, spoken with such conviction and raw honesty made him momentarily breathless. Taliesin silently studied his face, reading the complicated emotions that were crossing over it. His expression softened noticeably, hunger momentarily replaced with tenderness.

“… thank you,” Matt said finally, trying to put as much emotion into the words as he was feeling. He leaned down and gave Taliesin a soft, almost chaste kiss, a stark contrast to their current position. When he pulled back again, he took a deep breath and arranged his thoughts.

“Sooo,” he started, trying to lift the seriousness that had fallen over them. “You’re really hot and we’re really naked, let's do this?”

“Yes, let's do this,” Taliesin laughed. He didn’t seem to want to rush it though, apparently more interested in running his hands all over Matt, getting to know the places that made him gasp and buck up against him and Matt was almost grateful for that. He wanted this to last, wanted to revel in this feeling for a little while longer even though his need was quickly rising. 

Taliesin pulled him closer, licking a broad stripe across his right nipple, before sucking the nub into his mouth. Matt sighed, enjoying the easy pleasure ebbing through him and slung an arm around his shoulders. Taliesin closed his hand around the combined girth of both their cocks, not even moving yet, only holding them joined in this way but just the feeling of him pressed against him was already maddening. Matt leaned back slightly, steading himself by placing his other hand on Taliesin’s thigh. Taliesin released Matt’s nipple with a wet pop as he slowly started stroking along their lengths.

“Good?” Taliesin breathed softly against his neck as he leaned his face against Matt’s shoulder, his short beard prickling against his skin.

“Yeah,” Matt sighed, his fingers tangling in Taliesin’s hair.

Taliesin began kissing and licking a line down the side of Matt’s neck, continuing the slow movement of his hand. Matt tried to thrust up into his strokes but Taliesin’s arm around him was holding him down, not allowing him any significant leeway. He instead felt the slight rumble of a chuckle against his collarbone where Taliesin was currently focusing his attention on.

“Impatient,” he said, looking up at Matt with a grin after he had pulled away with a last nip.

“You’re the one who has been winding me up the whole evening,” Matt groaned with a slight edge of frustration to his voice.

“Did I now?” he purred in mock surprise. “How about you do the honors then?” He caught the hand that was splayed on his thigh behind Matt with his own and guided it towards their cocks. Matt took hold of them and started moving, faster than Taliesin had, the slide made easy by their combined precome. He felt the occasional twitch of Taliesin cock in his hold and his breathing was getting more ragged, obviously getting closer to his climax. 

Matt felt his own orgasm slowly building as well when Taliesin suddenly started moving his legs wider apart, spreading Matt’s even further in the process. He moved his free hand to Matt’s thigh, stroking along it before he slipped lower, past his cock, gently cupping his balls. Matt whined low in his throat, wondering dimly how long he’ll be able to last with Taliesin’s single-minded intent on him. He sped up the movement of his hand, trying to ignore his own arousal to focus completely on Taliesin. The breathy moans that were spilling out of Taliesin told Matt that it was working but then Taliesin retaliated by moving his hand further back, stroking over his perineum. 

At the first, light touch Matt gasped, bucking up instinctively into his own hand and against Taliesin, who echoed him with a soft moan of his own. Taliesin continued stroking over the sensitive spot, pulling a steady stream of whines and moans from his lips as Matt’s movement on their cocks began to become erratic.

“I’m gonna –” Matt gasped, feeling his orgasm fast approaching. Taliesin didn’t say a word, instead pulling him impossibly closer to his chest, his breath hot and damp on Matt’s neck and completely in sync with Matt’s own rapid gasps. Just as Matt was cresting on the edge, Taliesin bit down on his shoulder as he came with a loud groan. The sudden pain was the final push that sent Matt flying as well. His entire body went rigid as he cried out, his climax wrenching through him, pleasure laced with crystalline pain, sharpening his senses and making it that much more intense.

After, he went pliant in Taliesin’s hold, leaning against him, panting. He felt Taliesin stroke over his back and nuzzle apologetically over the spot he had bitten.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” he said after a moment of silence, apparently taken aback by his own reaction.

“Mhhhh, ‘s fine. That was actually really hot, if I’m honest,” Matt mumbled, still caught up in post-orgasm euphoria. “As long as you’re not a vampire,” he added with a giggle. 

“I’m not a vampire. Promise,” Taliesin said, smiling softly before he pulled him in for a kiss.

***

Taliesin looked over at Matt’s sleeping form, the soft moonlight spilling in from the window illuminating his face just enough to see the minute movements of his slightly parted lips with every breath he drew. Taliesin became acutely aware of how fragile he looked, slender limbs sprawled out on the sheets, hair framing his head like a dark halo. Unbidden thoughts started creeping into his head, twin emotions battling over his mind. The possessive need to protect him from any harm that might occur was fighting with the jarring knowledge of how easy it would be for Taliesin to break him, to defile something beautiful for no other reason than that he could. He closed his eyes and forcefully pushed both emotions away, contemplating instead if he should return to his own bed, where he wouldn't have to face these complicated feelings. 

Just as he was coming to a decision, Matt began to stir in his sleep. Taliesin held his breath as he rolled over and threw an arm over Taliesin’s middle, his hand coming to rest in the center of his chest, his forehead leaning against his shoulder. He didn’t dare exhale until Matt’s own breathing had returned to the slow, even rhythm of sleep.

Careful not to wake him, he traced his fingers from Matt’s shoulder down along his arm, the feeling of the soft skin under his fingertips almost entrancing. After a few long moments he closed his eyes, resigning himself to the fact that Matt had just made his decision for him but not finding it in him to be displeased about it.


	3. Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, it's starting to come together! I think I'll need about 2 to 3 more chapters to wrap this up.

Matt didn’t know what to expect after that first night. He was equal parts embarrassed, terrified and excited when he woke up the next morning. 

He looked to the spot next to him and found it deserted, his heart sinking. Maybe it had been a mistake. It had certainly been foolish. He didn’t even know if Taliesin was interested in him beyond a quick one-off. He shouldn’t have let himself fall for someone so quickly and he’d been a complete idiot for daring to hope for more.

He was lost in gloomy thoughts for a while until the sound of that one creaky chair in the kitchen snapped him out of it. He bolted out of bed, struggled into some shorts and pants as fast as he could and grabbed a shirt on his way out the bedroom door. When he stumbled into the kitchen he was greeted by the sight of Taliesin sipping on a mug, the smell of coffee in the air.

“I got bored waiting for you to wake up. Coffee?” he asked, eyeing Matt’s disheveled appearance with obvious amusement. Matt just stood there gaping at him for a second, while Taliesin pulled another mug out of the cupboard. “Your tea selection is abysmal, by the way, you gotta do something about that."

That had been the first time Taliesin had stayed but it certainly wasn’t the last. He stayed when long, draining shifts left Matt too exhausted to do anything but crawl into bed and pass out. He stayed when Matt’s anxieties and insecurities were rearing their heads, manifesting themselves in a variety of different ways. He left him space when he needed it, but was there as comforting support when he needed that, so entirely attuned to him and able to read what he was feeling just by looking at him.

Taliesin eventually ended up coming to the bar most nights after he’d finished work and they’d leave together, more often than not making their way to Taliesin’s place at some point since he had the more spacious flat out of the two of them and a bigger bed. Over time, half of Matt’s wardrobe seemed to somehow have ended up there as well, renting space next to Taliesin’s diverse selection of clothes.

They settled into a comfortable kind of friendship. With benefits. Benefits that were more than _just_ amazing sex. Though, to be fair, the sex _was_ pretty, fucking amazing. Matt had caught himself more than once replaying some of their encounters in his head during slow periods at work. (It was usually Simon who interrupted them, as he seemed to view Matt’s distant gaze as a silent invitation to fling a dishcloth at his face.)

And it really was _entirely unfair_ how Taliesin knew exactly which buttons to push to reduce Matt to a quivering bundle of need. How he made Matt shudder and whine under his skilled hands and mouth. The revelation that Taliesin had a bit of a dominant streak, to put it mildly, had been utterly delightful and something that Matt had, and continued to be, more than willing to explore. And he turned out to be a very considerate lover, especially when Matt was laid out on the bed helplessly, hands bound to the headboard or otherwise incapacitated, while Taliesin pushed into him ever so slowly, all the while purring the most delicious filth into his ear.

In short, Taliesin had become a constant in his life as quickly and unexpectedly as he’d entered it. Maybe they had to talk about what exactly their relationship was at some point, but for now, Matt was happy to just enjoy Taliesin’s company. 

***

It was a sunny weekend that was about to bring an unexpected secret to light. They had just finished lunch and were enjoying the first truly warm days of the year during a stroll through the city, heading towards the park when they walked around a corner. 

Matt stopped dead in his track when he saw the scene unfolding in front of him. One car had stopped in front of a crosswalk with a boy crossing the street in front of it, oblivious to the other car fast approaching from the opposite direction. 

40 yards – the boy turns around and notices the car. He stops in the middle of the road, petrified. 

30 yards – a purple shadow appears out of nowhere next to him.

20 yards – the driver finally looks up from his phone. 

15 yards – the shadow seems to wrap around the boys wrist. 

10 yards – the boy stumbles as he is yanked to the side.

0 yards – he falls to the ground, the car passing mere inches from him.

“Holy shit, did you see–” Matt began, turning to Taliesin, who stood frozen a few steps behind him, only to stop abruptly when he saw the other’s eyes. The usually blue irises were an unnatural shade of dark purple as they focused on the scene in front of them. It only lasted for a heartbeat before they shifted back to blue under Matt’s gaze but it had been long enough that Matt was certain that his eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on him. Taliesin shot him a gaze and slightly shook his head before he walked ahead without another word. 

A small cluster of people had already gathered around the boy. Matt quickly stepped closer and saw with relief that he seemed to be alright, a grazed knee from the fall the only visible injury.

He caught up to Taliesin and yanked him back by his shoulder.

“You did something just then, didn’t you?”

“Let's get back to your place.” When Matt didn’t soften his determined gaze, he lowered his voice and added urgently. “ _Please_. The middle of the street is _not the right place_ for this conversation.”

Matt held his gaze for a moment longer before he nodded curtly and let go of Taliesin. The short walk to Matt’s apartment was spent in silence, Matt reflecting on what he’d seen and Taliesin mentally preparing for the conversation in his immediate future.

When they arrived, Matt immediately went to grab a bottle of water and two glasses, filling both of them and handing one to Taliesin before taking a drink from his own. 

“So?” he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter. Taliesin sipped at his own glass before meeting his gaze.

“What did you see?”

“I don’t know _what_ I saw. I saw some sort of shadow grab that boy and I saw your eyes. They were _fucking purple_.”

Taliesin sighed in defeat.

“Yeah, they were. That’s what happens when I… use my powers.”

“Powers? What kind of powers?”

“Eldritch powers.”

Matt would have laughed if it wasn’t for the serious gaze in Taliesin’s eyes. Instead he sat down at the kitchen table, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“You expect me to believe that you’re some sort of… what? Eldritch… thing…?"

“Eldritch Being would be the correct term, but yes, essentially.”

Matt didn’t say a thing, he only looked at Taliesin silently. Taliesin shrugged and sat down at the table opposite to him. “You _asked_.“

“Can you… _do_ something? Like... show me what you did back there.”

Taliesin lifted a hand and as his eyes shifted in color again, a dark mass in the shape of a rope appeared, dark purple, almost black in places, hovering over the table between them. Matt watched wide eyed as it moved towards Taliesin’s outstretched hand and wrapped around his wrist. Its form seemed to continuously shift in place and it looked to be not so much a physical entity but the absence of matter entirely.

Taliesin looked intently into Matt’s eyes, unsure what he expected to find there but it certainly wasn't the breathless fascination he saw.

“Can I… touch?” he asked, not taking his eyes off of Taliesin’s arm, where the purple shape was curled around him like a snake. Taliesin nodded. 

Matt stretched out a hand, slowly coming closer and touching a finger to the surface. He felt… nothing. No, not nothing. He felt a force coming into contact with his finger and even though it wasn’t physically tangible, there was resistance. He was reminded of being a child and playing with the fridge magnets in his parents’ kitchen, trying to force two sides with the same pole together, that would continuously repel each other.

Matt pulled back and took a deep breath, trying to accept this new reality in which the guy he was sleeping with was apparently some sort of otherworldly being.

“You’re taking this surprisingly well,” Taliesin said slowly, as the purple shadow disappeared and his eyes shifted back to blue. 

“It’s not like I have much of a choice, right? I can see the evidence before me and I have no rational explanation for it, so I might as well believe you,” Matt said. “But…,” he continued hesitantly, “doesn’t ‘Eldritch’ have negative connotations? Like… really evil, actually?”

“Lovecraft was a garbage person and you shouldn’t believe his bullshit. Well, not _all of it_ anyway,” Taliesin said, leaning back in his chair. “I spent a few hundred years being an asshole and honestly, it gets pretty boring when you –” 

“A few _hundred?!_ How _old_ are you?” Matt interrupted, staring at Taliesin incredulously again.

“Well, you kind of stop counting after the first thousand but somewhere around 3’600, give or take a few decades.”

Matt rubbed his hands over his eyes, suddenly feeling incredibly tired.

“Okay, cool…,” he finally said drily.

“Too big of an age gap for you?” Taliesin asked with a wink. Matt groaned. 

“Don’t even go there. I feel like I should be weirded out that I slept with some dark, otherworldly horror but you’re also really hot so there's that.”

Taliesin laughed but fell silent after a few seconds when he noticed that Matt’s expression had gone serious again.

"You could have told me, you know?" Matt said quietly after a few seconds. Taliesin stared at him silently, seeming genuinely perplexed by the statement.

“I’ve never told anyone,” he said finally.

"But you could have told _me_ ," Matt insisted. "I trust you. And I'd assumed you trusted me."

"I do. I do trust you. It just never… occured to me?" Taliesin said contemplatively. “Humans usually don’t react as well to things that are… different as you just did. So I’ve gotten used to hiding what I am. I’m _good_ at it. Except when some idiot driver forces me to reveal myself in broad daylight,” he added with a grumble.

“You can stop hiding now, though,” Matt said softly. “At least when we’re alone.”

“I suppose so,” he said, thinking for a moment before his face broke into a mischievous smile. His eyes turned purple again and suddenly the chair Matt was sitting on was rising a few inches into the air and began floating towards Taliesin. As Matt looked down, he saw purple discs under each leg of the chair, holding it aloft. As soon as he was directly in front of Taliesin, the back end of the chair began rising up further, making Matt slide off of it and into Taliesin’s lap.

“I think I can get used to this,” Taliesin said grinning as he wrapped his arms around Matt, his eyes shifting back to blue again.

“I… I think I can too,” Matt answered, still shaken by the revelations this day had brought, but leaning into Taliesin's familiar embrace all the same, grateful that at least some things hadn't changed. 

***

It didn't turn out to be as big of an adjustment as Matt had initially assumed. Sure, it was momentarily destabilizing to see someone just extend shadows out of their hands to grab a bowl from the top shelf. And Taliesin's habit to absentmindedly conjure various different purple shapes while watching movies had even managed to give Matt a good scare once, when they had been watching Lord of the Rings and he suddenly found the scarily accurate looking shape of a Nazgûl on Taliesin’s other side. But all in all, it was fine. He was still the same person (if the term was even still applicable) with the same personality that had first caught Matt's interest. 

And as for the sex… well… let's just say it added another layer to their encounters. Matt quickly developed an almost Pavlovian response to the feeling of the dark appendages snaking across his skin, a fact that Taliesin took gleeful advantage of in unexpected moments, just to hear Matt's sharp intake of breath and see the way his knees buckled under him.

One such occasion was during dinner at Taliesin’s place. He suddenly felt that unmistakable sensation caressing his ankle before it slid under his trousers and higher up, curling around his calf. He froze entirely, his hand holding the fork suspended halfway between the plate and his mouth. He took a shuddering breath and looked at Taliesin. He smiled innocently at Matt but his purple eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Something wrong?" Taliesin asked, smile widening while the sensation moved higher up Matt's leg. "Don't tell me you don't like my cooking." His face broke into an exaggerated pout.

"No… no, it's delicious," Matt said, answering with a smile of his own, determined to play along and not give Taliesin the satisfaction of breaking. At least not just yet.

He continued eating while the caress continued moving higher, stroking across the sensitive skin at the back of his knee and snaking slowly to his inner thigh. He clung onto his cutlery, trying to suppress the moan that was forcing itself out of his mouth and only partially succeeded. He felt Taliesin’s eyes on him, no doubt studying every one of Matt's movements but he didn't look up, concentrating instead on getting through dinner like a normal, non-horny person. 

He managed it somehow, despite Taliesin’s best efforts, and suddenly the sensation was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief, happy to claim that as a partial victory even though there was a fairly obvious tent in his trousers now. They cleaned up and settled down on the couch, Matt barely waiting until Taliesin had sat down before he straddled him, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him forward for a bruising kiss.

"Mhhh," Taliesin hummed, Cheshire cat grin back on his face as he pulled away. "One could think something's been winding you up for the past hour or so."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Matt said, grinding down against him.

They stumbled into the bedroom after some more hungry kisses, interrupted by breathless teasing, clothes shed in a mess on the floor.

Soon Matt was on the bed on his hands and knees, whining brokenly as Taliesin removed his fingers with a last, teasing stroke against his prostate. Taliesin wiped the lube on his fingers on Matt’s thigh, the other hand stroking in an almost soothing way over Matt’s side before it settled on his hip.

“Come on, you damn tease,” Matt groaned, settling on his elbows and letting his head hang down between his shoulders. His cock had been leaking before Taliesin had even started opening him up, and the overly thorough preparation Taliesin was so fond of had done nothing to relieve that.

“Is that any way to ask for what you want?” Taliesin tsked disapprovingly. Matt groaned in frustration.

“Please, Taliesin.”

“Better, but try again. Tell me what you want,” Taliesin hummed, his thumb stroking encouragingly over Matt’s hipbone. Matt took a deep, shaky breath before he spoke again.

“I want you to fuck me. I want you to slam your cock so hard inside me that I’m gonna feel it all week. Please, Taliesin.”

“There you go, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Taliesin said brightly. 

Matt started grumbling quietly but it quickly dissolved into a moan as Taliesin started pushing inside him. He went slowly but steadily until he bottomed out, the only sound in the room their heavy breathing. 

“Lovely,” Taliesin moaned as he stilled for a moment. Then he pulled out slowly and slammed back in with a fast, hard thrust. Matt gasped, a lovely, little sound that Taliesin was all too eager to hear again. He repeated the motion and this time the gasp was followed by an endearing whimper. Taliesin tightened his grip on Matt’s hip as he began building a steady rhythm.

Matt buried his face in the crook of his elbow as Taliesin started fucking him in earnest. Taliesin was always a storm of fierce energy, but right now even more so than usual, his intensity almost overwhelming. A steady stream of muffled moans and gasps and whimpers began falling from Matt’s lips.

Taliesin felt himself slipping into something darker but he didn’t care, _couldn’t_ care when Matt was under him, feeling absolutely perfect around him and making those oh so pretty noises. If he had been able to look back into Taliesin’s face, Matt would have seen his eyes, not blue nor purple but deep, bottomless black.

He was pounding into Matt ruthlessly now, every hard thrust rocking him forward with the force of it. Matt whined and moved a hand under himself, reaching for his cock but before he could manage a single stroke, cords of purple darkness wrapped around his wrists, pulled them out from under him and pinned them down to the mattress above his head. He fell forward with a small grunt, his chest pressed to the mattress now.

“ _No_ ,” Taliesin growled, his hold on Matt’s hip tightening even more while he placed his other between his shoulder blades, pressing him further into the bed. “You’ll come when _I_ allow it.” 

Matt _keened_. He was so incredibly close he just needed that small, additional push to topple him over. A litany of “Please” and “Tal” fell from his lips while Taliesin continued to pound into him, before they dissolved into desperate, breathless whimpers, speech beyond him at that point. When Taliesin’s thrusts started to become erratic, he finally closed his hand around Matt’s cock and began stroking in time with his movements, making Matt shudder helplessly under him. He came within a couple of strokes, going completely boneless while Taliesin thrust a few more times before stilling and coming as well.

Taliesin moved back, pulling out slowly. As his eyes shifted back to their natural color, he let his gaze trail over Matt’s body. His face was still buried in the mattress, and Taliesin noticed with alarm the hand shaped mark on his hip, where a bruise was already beginning to form, when a sob wracked through Matt’s body.

“Oh no, fuck, I’m so sorry,” Taliesin said, trying to suppress his rising panic while reaching a trembling hand out towards Matt. He gently pushed the hair out of his face and froze when Matt grabbed him and pulled him close, burying his face in his shoulder. Taliesin haltingly put his arms around him, caught off guard by the whole situation. He held him tightly and stroked slowly over his back, trying to not let him feel the tremor in his hand. After a few minutes of silence, Matt pulled away slowly, looking at him almost sheepishly.

“I... don’t know what that was. Emotions doing... weird stuff. Sorry for making it weird.”

Taliesin stared at him in disbelief. 

“You... _what?!_ I just gave you literal bruises,” he said, pointing at Matt’s hip. Matt eyes followed his finger and noticed the darkening mark there, staring at it in surprise. “And _you’re_ apologizing _to me?_ ”

Matt shrugged helplessly. “Yeah… I mean… I kinda overreacted there. It was a lot somehow and my brain didn’t know how to react so it did this,” he said gesturing towards his reddened face. “But I _did_ enjoy it, so as far as I’m concerned, you have nothing to apologize for. And I would have stopped you if I hadn’t.” 

Taliesin shook his head in defeat before pulling him close again, a single thought ghosting through his mind.

_You wouldn’t have been able to._

***

That night, dark visions plagued Taliesin’s dreams. Images of Matt screaming while being held aloft by tendrils of darkness that pierced into his skin and tore at him. His face contorted into a terrible grimace of pain, as his eyes rolled back and blood began dripping from his mouth. A figure watching impassively from the shadows. Taliesin yelled at them to stop. Their eyes snapped to him and he recognized his own features in theirs, before they stepped backwards into the shadows, vanishing.

He woke up with a start, eyes immediately snapping open, looking for Matt and finding him asleep next to him. He watched him in the dark for long moments, letting the sight of the peaceful rise and fall of his chest calm him.

Before his mind’s eye, he began to see a multitude of branching paths and crossroads, an abundance of decisions, each leading to a wholly different outcome. He focused on one of them and made a choice.


	4. Echoes From the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was almost finished with the whole story and then I had a moment of "Wait, it'd be much better if I did this differently." So I did.
> 
> The basic plot is still the same I intended from the beginning but it plays out differently now.
> 
> The long wait and the comparatively short chapter are mostly due to the rewrites I had to do because of this.

A few weeks passed and work was busy. In addition to his usual hours, Matt got called in a few times to come help out at the bar during rush hour. It was a good chance to earn some additional money, so he couldn’t complain, really, but it was also cutting into his free time and therefore into his time with Taliesin. It didn’t help that Taliesin seemed to turn up at the bar less and less, though Matt was unable to figure out a reason as to why.

Finally after a long shift, they sat together on Taliesin’s couch, Matt leaning against him, half paying attention to the TV, half dozing in the comfortable warmth of the living room. Taliesin sneaked an arm around his middle and took ahold of his hand.

“Matt? Still awake?”

“More or less.” Matt stretched, sat up a little and turned around to face him. “Is something the matter? You seem… tense,” he said, looking Taliesin up and down.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” he started. “About us. About this. Whatever this is,” he said, gesturing vaguely at the space between them. Matt said nothing, only looking at him with rising apprehension.

“I’m not... _good_. I try to be but it’s not what I am, not really. It’s not my nature. I could slip up so easily and hurt you. Even _kill_ you. I don’t want that to happen.”

“You _are_ good. You wouldn’t hurt me, I know you wouldn’t,” Matt said firmly. Taliesin smiled sadly.

“I had a friend once. His name was Sephas and he was one of my own kind. We spent many centuries together. We had similar views on the world and our place in it. Observe, learn, make things better where we were able to. But staying hidden. He… he thought he had his nature under control but he became more and more reckless. He wanted to have more influence. More power. He eventually started to go against our shared values. And then he lost himself completely. He started hurting the ones he used to care about.”

“What happened to him?”

“I stopped him. I destroyed his physical form on this plane.”

“What does that mean? What happens to… your kind when you die?”

“You can only kill an Eldritch Being in its own realm. We can’t die here, not in a way that is permanent at least. We get sent back to our own plane, where our forms get restored over a period of many, many years. Then we return.” He looked up from where Matt was holding onto his hands. “I regret what I had to do, but I don’t regret that I did it. I saw no other way.”

“And now you’re worried that you could become like Sephas. Why now?”

“I’m… not sure. I would love to think that it’s coincidental but…”

“You think it’s me,” Matt said evenly. Taliesin nodded slowly. 

“Something about you set it in motion. I’ve always had it under control up until a few weeks ago. I only lost it for a short while but it could happen again. I could lose myself completely. And I’m terrified.”

“So you really have been avoiding me.”

“Yes,” Taliesin admitted apologetically. “I’ve been working on something and I didn’t want to risk anything until I'd finished it.”

He let go of Matt’s hands and stood up, walking to a small dresser in the corner, where he opened the top drawer and retrieved something. When he turned back he held something in his open palm. He held it out to Matt and he took it, inspecting it closer. It was a leather wristband with a thin, rectangular silver plate in the middle of it. There was a delicate engraving in the metal in the shape of an eye and where the pupil would be was a small, black gem.

“What does it do?” Matt asked, looking up at Taliesin.

“You see that black stone there? It is extremely rare and it can suppress magic. My magic. If I ever lose control again you can stop me with this. It will prevent me from using my powers and it should clear my mind.”

Matt looked at him surprised. “I’m not sure I’m…” 

“Please, take it. You’re the only person I trust enough to give it to.”

Matt took a deep breath before he answered.

“Okay, yeah, if you ever… _turn evil_ , I’ll use it.” Pause. “ _How_ do I use it?”

“Let me put it on you, then I’ll show you.”

He took the band back and clasped it around Matt’s wrist, where it blended in perfectly with the leather bands that were already there.

“Now concentrate on it.”

Matt shot him a sceptical gaze but did as he was asked. After a few seconds, the black gem started to slightly glow in a purple hue.

“Good, now try lifting it up.”

Matt made to reach for it with his other hand but Taliesin stopped him.

“No, with your mind.”

Matt continued to concentrate, imagining the softly glowing stone rising out of the metal. Nothing happened for a few seconds but then it slowly started to float until it hovered in the air between them.

“Very good, now put it on me,” Taliesin continued. “Wait, let’s test it properly,” he added as his eyes shifted to purple and a small sparrow made out of darkness appeared on his open palm.

Matt made the stone hover to Taliesin’s outstretched arm and as soon as it made contact with his skin, the bird blinked out of existence, though it wasn’t in the way Matt was used to seeing. It was more like a TV signal that suddenly got cut. The stone seemed to sink halfway into Taliesin’s skin, almost latching onto him, before it came to rest and stayed in place even after Matt had stopped concentrating on it. He stared at Taliesin, who seemed slightly disoriented.

“Oh, this is a weird feeling,” he said with fascination, staring at his hand where the bird had been only moments ago. His eyes had gone back to blue but glowed slightly purple for a fraction of second, before the glow vanished again, nothing happening. Matt watched as Taliesin tried a few more times, unsuccessfully.

“Okay, that’s enough of that. You can take it out now,” Taliesin said after a few moments, clearly unsettled by the experience.

“You can’t do it yourself?” Matt asked as he started to concentrate on the stone again.

“No, only the person who’s wearing the band can remove it again after it has attached itself onto something,” Taliesin answered as he watched the gem ease out of his skin and return to its place on the silver plate of the wrist band. “They’re linked together like that. And it wouldn’t be much use if I could just pluck it off that easily.”

Matt lifted his eyes to see the sparrow reappear on Taliesin’s finger.

“Everything working as expected, very good,” he said as the bird flew over to sit on Matt’s shoulder, nibbling lightly on his earlobe, before Taliesin made it disappear again.

“I trust you a lot, that’s why I’m giving it to you. And I trust that you’ll not abuse it,” Taliesin said, his eyes locked firmly onto Matt’s.

“No, of course not, I wouldn’t…,” Matt said hastily under Taliesin intense gaze.

“I know you wouldn’t,” Taliesin said, his eyes softening.

“So, all of that was… a lot. Can we go back to watching British people bake cakes?”

“Oh yes,” Taliesin laughed. Matt leaned in for a kiss which Taliesin gave him readily, before he leaned back against him, one of Taliesin’s arms coming around his middle to pull him closer to his chest. Matt sank against him, playing absentmindedly with the new wristband, feeling the metal slowly warm under his touch.

***

Taliesin did not usually have to stay late at his job. He was in the comfortable position to be able to tend to the organizational parts of his job and delegate the less involved parts which usually meant that he could send someone else to oversee the events and concerts he had organized.

Not today, though. The host had requested for him specifically to be there to make sure that everything went according to plan and so he’d obliged. He was proud of his good reputation in these circles but it also could have its drawbacks sometimes.

It was close to midnight when he was finally able to leave, wondering if he should go to Matt’s place for a glass of _something_ to wind down and crash there, or if Matt was already asleep. He wouldn’t want to wake him up but then again, Matt had given him a key to the flat for those kinds of situations, so he might as well use it. In the end, the thought of not having to sleep alone in a cold bed won out and he made his way to Matt’s flat.

When he got to the doorstep the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end. _Something was wrong._ He felt the hint of a presence, someone who shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t _be_. His senses were screaming at him, yelling out a name even as his mind tried to shut them out, tried to convince him that it was ridiculous, that it wasn’t possible. 

_Sephas._

He tried the door and found it unlocked. He slowly walked ahead into the dark hallway and the feeling of dread increased. The light in the kitchen was on and a long ray of yellow light flooded into the hallway. The closer he got to the kitchen, the stronger the presence got, but Taliesin also realized now that he was merely sensing the echo of an aura. Sephas had been here, he couldn’t doubt that any longer, but he wasn’t here anymore. He took a deep breath as he stepped up to the doorway that lead into the kitchen and peered inside. No one was there. 

As he entered the room, the aura got near overwhelming. It hung in the air, almost crackling like electricity. He found a shattered mug on the floor, the remains of the liquid within staining the tiles. Aside from that, he couldn’t find anything else out of the ordinary. No signs of a struggle, no blood. But then again, there wouldn’t be, Taliesin thought bitterly. Not when you can easily overwhelm your target with magical means.

He let himself fall heavily into a chair at the kitchen table, trying to get his thoughts in order. This was intended as a message to Taliesin and its meaning was loud and clear. 

_I’m back. Come and face me._


	5. Fateful Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the main reason why there is a violence tag on this fic. Take care.

Finding Sephas would be easy. He only had to get back to his own plane and he’d be able to sense him. As soon as he did that, Sephas would be able to sense him as well, though, making it impossible to surprise him to tip the scales in Taliesin’s favor. But the longer he waited, the greater the risk that he’d do something to Matt. He took a final deep breath and steeled himself, before he vanished with an almost soundless rustle of air.

The sensation of passing between planes was wholly unpleasant. It felt as if his body was impossibly stretched out and every bit of air forced out of his body. Then it was over and Taliesin opened his eyes and found himself in a large room. The plain, windowless stone walls were illuminated by dim light that seemed to be sourceless. He took a quick glance around the room and when he saw that he was alone he took a few deep breaths before concentrating once more. He could sense Sephas, could almost hear his mocking laughter that seemed to urge him closer. As Taliesin had expected, he was in this realm. In their realm. Sephas was only a small, spacial jump away but Taliesin hesitated for a moment. He tried not to think about what he’d explained to Matt not long ago but his own words echoed in his mind against his will.

_You can only kill an Eldritch Being in its own realm._

It was plain to see what Sephas’ intentions were but Taliesin had no choice but to confront him and he had to do it now. He took another deep breath, concentrating on Sephas’ location before he vanished again. 

When he reappeared he stood on a plateau surrounded by half collapsed pillars. Heavy winds were blowing over barren, craggy lands, which stretched for miles on end in every direction beyond the plateau. Scattered bushes and grasses were the only disruption in this bleak scenery and even they looked unhealthy and stunted. But Taliesin didn’t pay any mind to the landscape. His gaze was drawn to the figure that was bound to one of the pillars with thick coils of rope.

He took a few steps towards it before Taliesin recognized Matt. He didn’t seem to be harmed, Taliesin was relieved to discover but just as he was opening his mouth to speak, a scratching voice came from behind the pillar, making Taliesin stop in his tracks as Matt flinched.

“Don’t move. And don’t do anything stupid. I can snap his neck faster than you could lift a finger.”

From behind the pillar appeared a tall form. Upon first glance, the features seemed almost human but upon closer inspection some details were _off_. A slightly elongated face and limbs, taut, pale skin that stretched over clearly visible bones and muscle.

“Finally we meet again,” the figure continued, as an almost claw-like hand reached out towards Matt and gripped his shoulder. “And all I had to do was take your plaything away from you.”

“He’s got nothing to do with this, Sephas,” Taliesin said calmly. “We can settle this between us. Let him go.”

"No. I think I'll keep him. Just to see what's so special about him."

He moved his hand, tracing one long nail along the side of Matt’s neck in a mockery of a caress. Matt jerked away as if he'd been burned, his face paling.

"We'll work on that," Sephas added with a cruel smile before he looked back up at Taliesin. “You haven’t changed a bit, Taliesin.” His tone was conversational, almost as if they were old acquaintances who hadn’t seen each other in a while and had now met by chance in the fruit and vegetable section of a grocery store.

“You on the other hand…” Taliesin began, trailing off while he looked Sephas up and down with a pointed look. “I’d been wondering… I felt that you’d returned, but it didn’t make sense to me. It was too early. But now that I see you…”

“We all prioritize different aspects of ourselves, don’t we?” he drawled. “I was willing to make a few sacrifices to speed up the process. I _simply couldn’t wait_ to get back. To you.”

“How flattering,” Taliesin said drily. “But you shouldn’t have. You _really_ shouldn’t have.”

“You’re not happy to see me? You wound me, Taliesin,” he said with mock disappointment. “Not as bad as last time, though.” 

“Always one to bear a grudge, aren’t you?”

Sephas suddenly rushed towards him with a speed Taliesin hadn’t reckoned with and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

“You have _no idea_ what I went through,” he hissed, his face close to Taliesin’s, his eyes black and merciless. “The pain, when every cell of my body felt like it was set ablaze. And no way to stop it, just endure it. _For years. Ages_.”

He shoved Taliesin backwards with surprising strength, making him stumble before he managed to find his balance.

“But not this time. This time I’m prepared. This time I’ll be the one to destroy you,” he hissed, before he rushed towards Taliesin. 

***

Matt had observed their exchange silently, watching in stunned silence as Sephas dashed towards Taliesin. Seeing two beings of immeasurable power fight was like nothing he could ever have imagined. Two dark shapes flashing about, entangled in each other in a violent dance, a cover of black shadows around them. Bursts of purple energy erupted out of the chaos of blurring forms and only now and then would they slow down enough for Matt to be able to make out features; a pale, bony hand, a shock of blue hair, eyes as black as the darkest night. Their fight was accompanied by the chilling whistling of strong wind and the flapping and tearing of cloth caught in it.

Matt snapped out of his stupor. He had to help Taliesin somehow. With Sephas distracted he started to struggle against his bonds, throwing himself this way and that, but the knots held tight and he was unable to gain any leeway. He was just about to give up to try and think of a better approach when out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of purple pulse out of the tangle of darkness towards him. He threw himself to one side as much as the give of the ropes allowed, dodging it narrowly as it struck the pillar he was bound to. The deafening crash from the impact was momentarily disorienting and he had to close his eyes as dust and pieces of stone rained down on him. 

When he opened them again he saw that the blast had cut cleanly through the first few loops of rope. With a bit of wiggling, he managed to loosen the rest of it enough to get his arms free and from there it was easy enough to throw the bindings off completely.

He ducked behind the pillar, seeking cover in case any more wayward blasts ended up flying in his direction. As he did so, his eyes fell on the wristband Taliesin had given him and an idea started to form in his mind. It was reasonable to assume that it would work on Sephas, wasn’t it? As different as Sephas and Taliesin seemed, they still were essentially the same. Both Eldritch Beings that had started at the same point of origin, but had veered off into radically different ideological directions.

He concentrated on the little, black stone, which began to glow slightly in the already familiar way. He started lifting it out of its place on the wristband but as soon as he did, he realized that it wouldn’t be quite so easy. The strong winds around him and the additional forces coming from the fighting figures in the middle of the plateau were making it near impossible to control the small stone’s movements in the air. Even if he managed to get it close to Sephas, there was a high chance that he’d accidentally put it on Taliesin, sealing his fate. He caught the stone in his hand, not wanting to risk losing it and then looked back at the flurry of darkness a few yards ahead of him, purple energy bursting forth like lightning strikes now. _He had to get closer._

__

***

__

Taliesin had never been much of a physical fighter. His magical skills were finely honed but he’d seldom had to use them to defend himself, much less to attack. Sephas however had incredible strength and dexterity, making it clear where he’d set his priorities while reforming his body. On top of that he also had the familiar mastery of magic that Taliesin had grown used to over the centuries. Taliesin could feel himself getting tired and his defenses slipping. Sephas was able to gain more and more ground, getting a hit in here or slashing at his skin there. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Matt was crawling on his knees towards them, holding something clutched in one hand.

__

Taliesin didn’t know what he had planned, all he knew was that he didn’t want Sephas to notice him. He gathered the last of his reserves and renewed his efforts to slash and tear at Sephas, being mindful to keep him with his back turned towards Matt. When he had almost reached them, he let Sephas smash him against a pillar, the impact knocking the wind out of him. The cruel grin of someone who knows he’s won was only inches from Taliesin’s face as black eyes stared into purple ones.

__

“You were always afraid to become who you truly are. Even now. We could have ruled the world together. But you are _weak_ , you always were.” Sephas spit out the words, disgust plain on his face as he held Taliesin down, the razor-sharp claw-like nails on his hand digging into the skin of his throat.

__

“I want no part of your _‘strength’_ ,” Taliesin panted. “You are corrupting, you destroy everything you touch. You let your hatred control you. There is no ‘strength’ in that.”

__

“Sanctimonious as ever. For the last time, though.”

__

Taliesin looked down and saw Matt reaching out a hand towards Sephas, something small and black glinting in it and realization finally hit. He grinned at Sephas.

__

“I don't think so.”

__

Matt’s fingers hovered close to Sephas’ ankle and the black stone latched onto him immediately. He fell back on his heels as Sephas let out a confused scream and then a shout. 

__

“What– how–?!” 

__

As he spun around, he saw Matt, hand still outstretched. Suddenly, with the desperation of a cornered animal, Sephas struck out, not towards Taliesin but towards Matt. Time seemed to slow down, a heartbeat turning into hours, as the razor-sharp claws came flying towards his throat. He tried to dodge, throwing himself backwards, already knowing that it was too late.

The first thing he noticed was the sound of tearing cloth, shockingly loud over the whistling of the wind. Then the feeling of the nails tearing into his skin. The force of the impact sent him flying backwards several feet, before he came to rest on the hard ground of the plateau.

The pain didn’t come immediately. First came the cold; an icy caress that was seeping through his skin and bones, originating from his chest and abdomen. Only after did he feel the pain. White, hot flashes that made him struggle to breathe as he screwed his eyes shut, curling in on himself. Then the flow of warm, sticky blood through his fingers and over his hands as he pressed them to his chest.

__

Through the pain he heard an inhuman noise, a feral sound somewhere between a scream and a growl, utter fury and anguish suffusing it. Then the nauseating sound of grinding bone and flesh being torn to pieces before he felt a heavy weight slump to the floor. Silence.

__

Something warm appeared next to him and gently lifted him up off the ground. He curled into it and heard a soft voice before he fell into darkness.

__

_“I’m so sorry.”_

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *feels kinda sorry that the previous chapter ended on a cliffhanger*
> 
> Also me: *does _that_ *


	6. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally managed to put this chapter up! First I got hit by the worst case of writers block and then the next installment in this series wanted to be written _right then_ for some reason. (Not that I'm finished with that either, mind you...)
> 
> Anyway, thank you for coming along on this ride with me and enjoy a soft, last chapter to finish this story.

When he woke, Matt was in his bed. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Taliesin asleep in a chair next to him. Why was he sleeping in a chair? And why was it light outside? Could he have slept that long? 

He stretched, trying to shake off the lingering fatigue, when he felt a stinging pain in his abdomen and suddenly the memory came rushing back.

He frantically pushed at the covers to examine his chest and stomach and discovered to his amazement that new, pink skin had already begun covering most of the wound, the rest having scabbed over.

“I did my best but restoration magic is not really my area of expertise,” Taliesin said, blue eyes looking at him now, evidently woken up by Matt’s frantic movements. “How do you feel? Does anything hurt?”

“I feel… pretty okay, all things considered. My stomach hurts and itches a bit but it’s manageable.”

“Good, I’ll do a second pass, once I’ve recovered. I’m all out of juice right now.” Matt looked at Taliesin more closely and noticed now that he looked as exhausted as Matt felt, even his usually vibrant eyes a more subdued and dull blue.

“– scars should fade, maybe even vanish completely,” Matt heard, as he refocused on Taliesin’s words.

“Thank you,” Matt said out of a lack of anything else to say as he folded the covers back over himself. Another question was gnawing at Matt, though.

“Did you… Did you kill him? For good?” he asked hesitantly.

“I did,” Taliesin said simply. He stood up slowly and then sat down on the mattress next to Matt.

“You risked your life for me. I’d be dead if it wasn't for you.

“And you came to save me. He would have killed me. Or worse,” Matt shuddered at the thought.

“You wouldn’t have ended up in that situation in the first place if it hadn’t been for me,” Taliesin said bitterly.

“Don’t do this,” Matt said with a sudden edge to his voice. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. It is not your fault.”

“It is, though. Sephas noticed how important you are to me and used you to get –”

“Taliesin!” Matt interrupted him firmly. Taliesin’s eyes snapped to his. “Everything turned out okay. Maybe I got a few scars along the way but I wouldn’t change a thing about it. About _us_.” He averted his eyes from Taliesin’s, choosing instead to look at his hand which was currently clutching at the blanket. Why did he suddenly feel so self-conscious? 

“I wouldn’t trade having you in my life for anything,” he finished almost soundlessly, hoping that his tone conveyed the words that he couldn’t quite manage to say. Matt felt Taliesin’s piercing gaze on him as he continued to stare intently at his own hand. Taliesin was silent for a moment, before he made Matt release his death grip on the blanket and lifted the hand up and placed a kiss on his fingers.

“I wouldn’t either,” he said softly as he pulled away.

Matt felt his heart skip a beat and he reached out to pull Taliesin down to him. Taliesin managed to get his forearms to the mattress to prop up his weight there and not put undue strain on Matt’s injury before Matt was kissing him. Taliesin let himself get caught up by his frantic enthusiasm, his body warm and soft and _alive_ under him. He pulled away after long moments and let himself fall next to Matt on the mattress.

“You shouldn’t overexert yourself,” he warned gently, as he ran a hand through Matt’s hair, smoothing down a few stray strands. A pout was beginning to form on Matt’s face and Taliesin quickly leaned forward to kiss it away.

“One day of bedrest, then I’ll be able to patch you up the rest of the way. Deal?”

“Only if you stay with me,” Matt answered with a small smile.

“I’ll make us something quick to eat and _then_ I’ll stay with you,” Taliesin bartered.

“Deal,” Matt said after a second of deliberation. Taliesin gave Matt another quick kiss, before he got up and left the room. Matt heard clattering from the kitchen as he waited, almost dozing off as the strain of the previous day caught up with him again.

At some point Taliesin was by his side again, helping him sit up and wincing as Matt grimaced from the pain the simple action caused. He handed him a bowl of hot soup before he sat down on the chair again with his own bowl. He watched attentively as Matt began to eat slowly, quickly digging in more enthusiastically as he realized how hungry he really was.

When he was finished he handed the empty bowl back to Taliesin and laid back down on the bed with a contented sigh. Taliesin finished his own meal and brought the dishes back into the kitchen. When he returned Matt had already scooted to the side a bit, making space for Taliesin.

Taliesin slid into bed next to him and Matt immediately inched closer and threw an arm over his middle. Taliesin tried to suppress the sudden wince that ran through his body but Matt was too close to miss it. He pulled away carefully, looking intently at Taliesin.

“You’re hurt,” he said quietly. A statement, not a question.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Taliesin said, as he wrapped an arm around Matt.

“Can I see?”

Taliesin looked like he was about to refuse but then he sighed deeply and obliged, pulling his shirt up to expose his stomach and chest. Multiple gashes and a series of what looked to be burn marks littered his chest. They didn’t seem to be as deep as Matt’s own wound but had received noticeably less care. 

“Damnit, Taliesin,” Matt cursed quietly as he inspected the injuries.

“I had to prioritize,” Taliesin shrugged as he pulled his shirt down again. “Your injury was way more severe. This is nothing in comparison.”

Matt huffed but there was nothing he could do right now. Only wait until Taliesin had recovered enough to use his powers again. Matt settled back down again, cuddling close but taking care not to put any pressure on their injuries again.

***

The next few days were a blur of sleep and uneasy dreams, only interrupted by irregular meals and Taliesin’s warm hands funneling healing energy into Matt and – after Matt’s adamant insistence – also himself. Eventually their injuries had healed completely, but against Taliesin’s hope, there was a row of thin, long lines left on Matt’s chest and stomach. Matt didn’t seem to mind, as he impressed upon Taliesin over and over but to Taliesin it was a visceral memento of his failure to protect him. But at the same time they also served as a reminder of what Taliesin didn’t want to become. And as long as he had even just a hint of self awareness left, he’d never become like Sephas. Of that he was sure now.

The morning after Taliesin had treated Matt with a final dose of healing energy, Taliesin woke up, Matt half an arm's length away from him, with his back to him and still asleep. He stretched lazily, getting some of the lingering drowsiness out of his system before he scooted closer to Matt. He laid an arm around his middle and settled flush against Matt’s back. Matt stirred a little but didn’t wake up. Taliesin started slowly kissing up the nape of his neck, then along his shoulder and back to the side of his neck. Matt began to wake slowly, a gradual process, the start of which was announced by a low hum that sounded almost like a purr. Taliesin chuckled lightly at the noise and continued to place kisses along his jaw. With his eyes still closed, Matt’s hand found its way to Taliesin’s and squeezed it. 

“Good morning, kitten,” Taliesin said softly, before kissing him once more, this time on the corner of his mouth. Matt slowly rolled onto his back, looking up at Taliesin with half-lidded eyes and a lazy, content smile. The morning sun was spilling in through the blinds, bathing him in warm, golden light as he sprawled unselfconsciously on the bed, only half covered by the rumpled sheets, body soft and relaxed, his hair a wild mess framing his head. Taliesin was momentarily breathless at the sight of him until Matt pulled him down for a proper kiss, one hand on his cheek, stroking over his stubble. 

“Hi there,” Matt hummed as they broke apart. He began to stretch languidly before his brain seemed to catch up with what Taliesin had said and he froze mid movement. “Kitten?” he asked, blinking up at Taliesin.

“You were purring just then.”

“Was I?”

Taliesin nodded in confirmation, a slight smile on his lips. 

"I didn't even notice," Matt said yawning. “There are worse pet names, I suppose.”

"Need something to wake you up?" Taliesin asked with a raised eyebrow, after watching him continue to loll lazily on the sheets for a few seconds.

“Got something particular in mind?” he replied, copying Taliesin’s suggestive tone.

“Of course,” Taliesin grinned, before he pulled the blanket out of the way and made his way down Matt’s body, stroking a hand along his chest and stomach, almost reflexively attempting one last time to make the scars vanish as he trailed his fingers along them. As expected, nothing happened and Taliesin closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath, clearing his mind of this recurring failure, instead focussing on the moment.

He settled between Matt’s legs and began mouthing along the outline of Matt’s cock through his boxers. As he pulled away for a second, he looked up to see Matt watching him intently. He shot him a devilish grin before he dove back in, stroking along the length and teasing at the head with his lips and tongue until the thin fabric was completely soaked. He felt Matt harden under his lips, the occasional breathy moan slipping out of him. When he stopped to finally pull him out of his boxers, a drop of precome was beading at the head and Taliesin leaned down, licking a single, broad stroke along his cock before gathering the drop on his tongue, never breaking eye contact with Matt. Matt bit his lip in an unsuccessful attempt to stifle his moan as his eyes fell closed.

Taliesin had initially intended to just get Matt off with his mouth but seeing him so beautifully laid out before him, Taliesin changed his mind. He engulfed the head of Matt’s cock with his lips and sucked gently while he reached out with tendrils of darkness, opening the bedside drawer and rooting through its contents until he found the bottle of lube. He maneuvered it into his hand and snapped the cap open. Matt opened his eyes at the sound, watching as Taliesin poured some on his fingers and his thighs fell open a bit more, allowing Taliesin better access. Taliesin released his cock with a wet pop and kissed the inside of one thigh before he leaned back a bit and slowly sank a finger inside Matt. 

Taliesin wanted their first time after the incident to be slow and comfortable for Matt so he treated him with even more care than usual. He carefully stretched him with one finger, before adding another and more accidentally than intentionally brushed over the spot that made Matt gasp. At the third finger Matt started rocking back into Taliesin’s hand, the only sound in the room the steady string of quiet moans falling from his lips. Taliesin stretched him thoroughly before he drew back, taking in Matt’s appearance for a moment as he sat back on his heels. Matt opened his eyes to look at him then, desire burning hot in them, urging Taliesin on. He fumbled for the lube again, dripping it directly onto his cock and spreading it over his length before he wiped his hand on a tissue. He leaned over Matt, lined himself up and slowly sank inside. Both of them groaned in unison when Taliesin was completely sheathed inside Matt, and Taliesin stilled for a moment, enjoying the tight heat around him as Matt wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer.

“Move,” Matt whispered breathily next to Taliesin’s ear as he leaned the side of his face against his shoulder. Taliesin settled one forearm on the mattress, the other hand finding its way into Matt’s hair. Then he began to rock into Matt, moving with uncharacteristic slowness, Matt clinging to him as he panted against Taliesin’s neck. It was unusually calm and unhurried, none of the frantic rush that was often an underlying part of their sex, when they were both so tigthly wound that neither of them could bear to wait any longer.

Matt’s cock was trapped between their bodies, the friction created by their movements shooting delicious sparks of pleasure through him. Taliesin kept the pace slow as he began to thrust deeper, one hand moving between their bodies to stroke lightly along Matt’s cock.

Matt came at a particularly deep thrust, his breath hitching almost soundlessly as he twitched under Taliesin before going limp, sticky wetness spreading between them. Taliesin managed one or two more thrusts with Matt tightening around him, before he came as well, spilling inside him.

***

“This was wonderful,” Matt later said as they got dressed after a shower. “But I had the feeling that you were afraid you were going to hurt me. You can be rougher, you know I like it.”

“I know,” Taliesin answered quietly. “But I don’t think I _can._ ” He pulled a shirt over his head before he sighed and buried his face in Matt’s neck, breathing in deeply. “I almost lost you. I can’t bear to cause you more discomfort than I already did. Even if you want me to. Not yet. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Matt said quickly. “I didn’t realize how that must feel for you…” he trailed off, running a hand through Taliesin’s hair. “We have time. Whenever you’re ready.”

Taliesin pulled away a bit, looking at Matt, a tentative smile on his face. He placed a kiss on Matt’s lips.

“Yeah, we have time,” he said softly against his lips when he pulled away.


End file.
